When The Darkness Comes
by midoriAkuma121
Summary: Under an orange moon, a girl is born with great powers. Eyes are ever watching. The light burns and the dark brings despair. Who can she save? What will be the price to pay when the Darkness comes?
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! Welcome to my new story! It is kinda like a dark fantasy. I have it at T for now but it could possibly change to M. WE WILL SEE. I am excited about this story. I spend a whole day planning it out! I always love Orihime and Ulquiorra stories. This one will be a little bit of a slower burn with the romance, but it will be there…no worries! I really hope you guys will like it and that you join me on this story! Let me know your thoughts! And as always, thank you!

I do not own bleach

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 1: Orange Moon**

The sun was setting over the village. The guards were going to their posts. It was another long night of waiting and watching. Unknown if _they_ will come tonight. The guards never know. Never knowing if _they_ were lurking in the woods. All they could do was wait until sunrise and hope those terrible creatures stay in their caves. The people in the village started to head indoors, it wasn't safe after nightfall. It became quite, only the sounds of animals lingered. The last bit of light disappeared over the mountains. There was only darkness now.

 **XXXXX**

Screams filled the air, breaking the silence. They were screams of pain. A woman with auburn hair lay on a bed soaked in blood. She gripped the blankets under her to try and ease her pain. People around her were moving fast getting fresh towels and water. The room was busy and there was an atmosphere of lost hope. Only one person was still. A boy, no older then 10, stood paralyzed by fear. He looked on helplessly as his mother cried. His blue eyes began to fill with tears.

"Mom…?" he tried to mask the fact his voice was breaking

The women turned her head to look at her son. Her gray eyes weren't as bright as before. She put on a tired smile and reached out her hand.

"It's okay Sora. Take my hand my love, give mommy strength," her words sounded faint as she took heavy breaths.

"Himeko, one more push. You can do it," a woman said gently

Sora grabbed his mother's hand. He wiped away his tears to seem strong for her. Soon he was to be a big brother he needed to be tough. Himeko's clutch around Sora's hand tightened as she gave one last push. One last yell into the night. Soon after the cries of a baby could be heard.

"It's a girl! Himeko! A beautiful girl!"

Himeko looked up to see her new child. She was so small. In that moment she wondered whom she would take after. She strained her eyes to try and get a better look but everything was getting blurry.

"My princess..." Himeko drowsily tired to raise her hands to hold her baby. Her vision was hazy until everything went black. Her hands had fallen right before her baby was given to her.

"Oh god no! Himeko! Sora take your sister!" The women franticly gave a confused Sora the newborn.

Everyone in the room was shouting. He looked at his mother lying lifeless on the bed. Her eyes were shut and her face was being drained of its color. 'She is bleeding too much'… 'I can't find her heart beat'….The boy couldn't take it and went out to the balcony. The moon was high in the sky now. It illuminated the village and the surrounding forest. Normally a peaceful night like this brought Sora a pleasant feeling, but his heart was racing. It hurt him so much. His mother was about to die. He wasn't ready. Not again. 6 months ago he lost his father, Orian, to _them_. He was found in bits and pieces…

The baby in his arms had made a noise breaking Sora's train of thought. For the first time he had looked down. The baby had finally opened her eyes. She had gray eyes, just like their mother. This caused Sora to start to cry. He was overcome with grief. His sobs became stronger and stronger until he felt a small little hand on his cheek. The touch felt warm and familiar. It had stopped the boy's tears instantly. The baby started to cry. It felt like the baby took his tears. Sora continued looking down at his sister. The more contact he had with her the more his heart felt less in pieces.

"It's okay...Don't cry. Big brother is here. I have you"

The boy hugged his sister. He had made a vow to protect her. They only had each other now.

 **XXXXXXX**

It was a full moon that night. The village elder sat by his window studying it. This was something he did whenever a baby was born into the village. He watched and waited.

 _Will anything change?_ He thought to himself. Just then a man with silver-gray hair rushed into the room. He was out of breath from running.

"Chief Yamamoto! It's Himeko… it seems like she gave birth to a healthy girl,"

"And what of Himeko, Chojiro?" the chief asked sadly even though he felt he knew the answer just by examining the other mans face.

Chojiro hesitated. He knew the chief of the village thought of everyone in it as his children. He didn't like bringing him sorrow.

"She has passed on sir…"

Chief Yamamoto held his head down in sadness. It seems like they had just lost Orian, now it was Himeko. His thoughts were heavy when Chojiro interrupted them.

"Sir! Look! The moon!" The man pointed up into the sky

The moon had changed. No longer was it a white-yellowish radiance. Now it was even brighter: a vivid orange.

 _It can't be…._

 _ **XXXXXX**_

Footsteps echoed within the rock walls as they approached the inner cave. A man with pink hair walked with an abnormal grin on his face. He had just come from the outside and he couldn't wait to meet with his Lord. The glow of a fire signaled he had reached his final destination. He walked into an enormous opening. Several eyes shifted his way. The man paid no attention to them as he went before his leader.

"My Lord…the moon has changed... It has finally come" he could barely contain his twisted smile. "We should attack now, my Lord..an-"

"Szayelaporro," there was silence. The owner of the voice got off of his throne carved from stone and slowly walked towards his informer. He facial expressions never changed. He kept his confident and almost sly demeanor as he approached his suburbanite.

"Does a baby follow commands?" he said cooly.

"My lord?"

"Answer" the man never raised his voice but with each passing second it seemed like the air in the room was getting sucked out. Szayelaporro felt the heaviness upon his back. _The lord doesn't like to wait…._

"No, babies do not even know common tongue until they are older…"

"Correct. Now you tell me. Why would we attack now?"

"We could take it now and raise it as our own, it will always be on our side then!"

The man that went by Lord stood still. His cool smile he always wore as an expression was now gone. He looked at the pink haired man harshly. 9 others looked on as their lord moved closer to their comrade.

"Tell me Szayelaporro… from _where_ do you think this baby was born?"

"The village of….. Light" As he spoke the words he realized how senseless he had been. He had been too overzealous. Upon seeing the orange moon he couldn't contain his emotions. "I am sorry Lord Aizen…I wasn't thinking," He gave a deep bow to show his respect.

Aizen began to look around the stone room. He saw 9 pairs of eyes waiting for orders.

"Brothers and Sisters of Darkness. Do not fret. Our time has finally come. We know what we must do. However, have patience. Our healer has finally arrived… and one must pick the fruit when it is most ripe….."

 **XXXXX**

 **10 years later….**

The sun rose over the mountains. The village became bright once more. The trees swayed slightly against the breeze. It was a beautiful morning. It was another night with no attacks. The sleepy guards climbed down from their posts to go back to their homes. Everyone in the village past the age of 18 had to take turns watching the borders of the village. It was long and tense, but it is what the Light Village trains for.

Sora climbed down from his post. He was more tired then usual. It was only his second time watching the town this month. To him, it felt like the 100th.

Sora had grown into a fine man; tall, kind, and handsome. Many of the village elders said he looked exactly like his father. They had the same brown hair and blue eyes. He wasn't sure if this was so, but he liked the complement.

He walked through the village with the other guards. One by one they would break off and go into their huts. Sora was the last to reach home. Their hut was built on the side of a tree slightly elevated, like many others in the village, and required walking up a steep ramp or climbing a ladder to get into it. Sora was way too tired to even attempt the ladder today. He often wondered why the village elders gave it to him. _Perhaps it is because your parents died…why else would they be so kind?_

Sluggishly he had reached the door. He barely got it open when fiery red hair clouded his vision. Shocked for only a moment until he saw two gray orbs beaming up at him.

"BROTHER! You're home! F-i-a-n-l-l-y! I have so much to tell you!" His sister had jumped off of him and started to jump around the room. One thing was very certain, she had way too much energy this early in the morning.

"What? But I saw you right before I took my post, how could you have so much to tell me?…..Orihime did you not sleep again?"

Orihime began to laugh. She was in a good mood this morning. She always hated it when her brother was guarding at night, so it was hard for her to sleep.

"naww naww of course I slept! I got up early to make you breakfast! Ta-da! Eggs, ham, and red bean toast with fish!"

Orihime grinned at her brother. Sora looked at the plate she had prepared. It was true…there was fish on that toast. He loved his sister dearly but couldn't help but think she had a few things wrong with her, taste-bud wise.

Orihime sat down and happily started to eat her meal. _Alllllright red bean and fish DOES taste GREAT!_ She looked over at her brother. He seemed very tired. She hated that he needed to go out all night. She understood why the village did it but to her it seemed pointless. She had never actually witnessed an attack. The last time the Darkness came to the village was when she was 5 years old. But she had slept through it somehow. Everyone always made such a huge deal about the Darkness.. Orihime didn't understand people living in constant fear.

She learned about everything at school. What the Darkness is…what they want and how to fight. But no one knew what they looked like, only that they wore dark hooded cloaks. She had so many questions…

Her mind began to wonder then she remembered why she was so excited

"Ah! Guess what! I can do something really cool…Let me show you!"

Without waiting for her brother's reaction she smashed her cup on the floor. Pieces of clay went flying along with water spreading out on the floor

"Orihime! What are you doing?!"

"Just watch!"

Orihime held out her hand and closed her eyes slightly. An orange light began to engulf the broken cup. Within seconds the water was going away and the cup was being put back together. Only a few seconds later when the light went away that Sora saw that the cup was back how it originally was, even the water.

Orihime seemed very pleased with herself. She picked up her cup and giggled. Sora on the other hand was stunned. He knew his sister had different powers then the rest of the village but he would never of thought she was capable of this. He began to panic after remembering what Chief Yamamoto had once told him.

 _Sora….Orihime's power will be different then the others. We must watch her. Never let her practice at night. It is important for her to be strong and fight for us. But her light magic means more then you know…She needs to have control…. remember never at night…_

"Orihime…When did you practice this?"

Orihime feel silent. She had made her brother upset. She had broken their rule.

"Orihime…."

"Last night…. when I couldn't sleep…but it wasn't totally on purpose!"

"Ori-"

"I was cleaning the kitchen…. and I accidently broke mom & dad's blown glass bowl they got from their wedding…I know how much you love it…. and I wanted it to not be broken… so badly… and then before I knew it… there was an orange light over it! It was getting fixed! And…and then.. The light went away and the bowl was back to how it was before! I am sorry I am sorry I broke the rule! I'm sorry!"

Orihime began to cry. She never wanted to make her brother disappointed. Sora looked over at the glass bowl over on the table. It was in fact something he cherished deeply, one of the last things left of his parents. He always told Orihime to be careful with it so many times because of his attachment to it. _She must have felt desperate…._

"Orihime I am not mad….okay?" Sora bent down and hugged his sister tightly to show her it was fine. Orihime looked up at him with tears running down her face.

"Y-your not?"

"No… you didn't mean it right?"

Orihime shook her head up and down. Sora grabbed a cloth from the table and started to wipe away her tears. Once she had calmed down he picked her up and put her on her bed.

"Sleep now okay? I know you stayed up all night. Brother just needs to go get something really quick then he will sleep too, okay?" He noticed that Orihime still seemed down. He somehow felt very guity. He quickly thought of a solution.

"When we wake up how about we go wild berry picking…"

"And make a pie!?" She shot her head up from her pillow and started to bounce with excitement.

"Yes, BUT only if you sleep now,"

Orihime quickly put her head down on the pillow and began to 'sleep'. He closed the curtain to her sleeping area and took a deep breath. Moments later he left their hut.

He climbed down the ladder and went straight to Chief Yamamoto's place.

 **XXXXXX**

He walked closer to the stone throne. He had traveled very quickly to give his lord news. Every night he watched. Every night he stealthy moved around the village. The watchers never saw him. He waited and waited for a sign of the healer. It was endless days, months, and years. Finally there was a sign. He saw a soft orange glow between the trees. _Which house is it? Who caused it?_ He could not see from his angle. He wanted to get closer but he couldn't due to the troublesome watchers. All the information he knew was that the healer was of human age 10. This evidence was all he needed.

When he got deeper into their cave he saw his master and fellow warriors. All waiting…all curious. It was far too early in the night for him to show up…they knew there was a sign.

"What is it that you saw? Show us, if you please…"

"Yes, Lord Aizen,"

Aizen looked down at his subordinate as he crushed his emerald eye. The room was filled with a fine dust. Everyone present closed their eyes and took in what the dust had to offer. A bright orange light….

Aizen opened his eyes and gave a wicked smile.

The room erupted with excited voices. The healer was growing…

"Silence now….I think it has been too long since we have paid any attention to our friends at the Light village…."

 **XXXXXXX**

"It smells so good doesn't it?!" Orihime was in good spirits. She spent the afternoon with Sora picking wild berries near the river. When they had gotten home they made the pie together. Orihime loved sweets. Whenever she felt sad, Sora always suggested they make some. He always cared for her. She loved him the most in the world.

It was just before nightfall when they put the pie in the fire.

"Now how long will this take again?"

"40 minutes but you need to turn it every 10 so the fire cooks it evenly!"

"Exactly…" She always amazed Sora. She was only 10, yet she was smarter then most of the other kids in the village, and some adults for that matter. He raised her to hold her own, and to be strong in every aspect of life. Sometimes he didn't feel like her brother… but as her father. He would do anything for her.

Orihime could barely sit still. She was so excited for the pie. She was also glad her brother didn't have to be on watch today. That meant they could relax and play together.

The sun had gone down now, so Sora and Orihime lit candles and lanterns around the hut. Orihime looked out the window and saw fires being started around the village. There was always a large bonfire in the middles of the village. Orihime loved how it lit up the sky and the smell that came with it. They burned pine trees sometimes and it made the air fragrant.

Sora looked over at his sister. She kept running around. She was overexcited. At this moment he seconded guessed if something sweet was a good idea.

"Hey Orihime, how about we draw with come coal while we wait for the pie?"

 _Perfect this will distract her…_

"OOHH! That sounds gr-"

GONG…GONG… GONG

Orihime and Sora turned pale. This was a noise that couldn't go unnoticed. That was the watchers alarm…. Orihime had only heard this sound a few times before during the day for testing. But this was no test.

The Darkness was here.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey! Hope you guys like the second chapter. Let me know how you feel!

WARNING- this chapter can be a little violent…and long

Anyone put off by my slow burn comment …don't be. The tension buildup is what makes it all worth it! And it will be worth it! Also I wright Orihime as more of a badass. I always felt she could have been overpowered AF in bleach if her character was actually cared about more. But she is my girl and Ulquiorra is my man!

I will shut up now! Enjoy!

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 2: Testing**

 **XXXXXXXXX**

"Now class…What did we learn today? Let us review. Who can answer me this! What is the Darkness?"

Little hand shot up. All were eager to answer the question. Their teacher smiled as she looked around the room. Her focus was on a boy with bright red hair.

"Renji stand up!"

The boy quickly got up. He was thrilled to be called on first.

"The Darkness are demons, Ms. Unohana!" Renji was proud of his answer as he sat back down.

"Very good…Now who can tell me what they look like?...Ikkaku?

"We don't know what they look like, they wear cloaks that help against our attacks. No one has seen their faces….if they have any.."

What are their weakness?...Nanao."

"Light. They cannot touch the sunlight. We are also their weakness. With our powers, if we touch their skin…we can burn them. When we infuse our light powers into weapons that is also a disadvantage for them,"

"Very good Nanao, thorough as always, but who can tell me our weakness against them?...Kira?"

A boy with blonde hair stood up. His expression was sad.

"They are extremely powerful…super fast and strong…their black smoke can kill us instantly…..they eat us…."

"Thank you Kira…now I want the whole class to answer together. When will your watching duties start?"

"18"

"Where do you go during an attack If you cannot flight?"

"The Light temple"

"And where must you never go?"

"Into the caves"

"That's a right! We must all be strong. Even teacher is a strong fighter, but always be careful…"

"You be careful Ms. Unohana!"

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

Orihime opened her eyes. She has dreamt of the past. She sat up in her bed and looked out the window. It was still dark outside. Her brother was at his post today so of course she couldn't sleep. She put her head back down on her pillow and recalled her dream

That was the last class she had with Ms. Unohana. It was just a few days before the village was attacked for the first time in years. Orihime recalled the panic in the adult's faces. She did what she was told and ran towards the light temple. Sora grabbed his sword and joined everyone else. It all happened so fast, like a blur.

That's all she really remembered from that first attack when she was 10. She was in the light temple with all the other children till sunrise. She heard and saw nothing.

She remembered Sora came and got her. He had blood on his shirt, not his blood. They had lost village folk that night. Some were taken, for whatever reason, and others…. Were brutally killed. Ms. Unohana was one of them…

Orihime remembered going back into their hut that day to a sweet burnt smell. The pie. It was just a large ashy lump now. She didn't care at that moment, all she had thought about was when they would attack again. While walking back to their place Sora had covered her eyes. He didn't want her to see the blood still on the ground.

It had been 8 years since then. Many things have changed. The Darkness now came more regularly. Sometimes they would attack and other times they would just stand there almost as if they were taunting them. So many more deaths…so many more disappearances. Orihime had overheard Chief Yamamoto say that the other Light village 200 miles away was all but gone. It made Orihime feel helpless.

She wanted to use her power. She felt like her techniques could help. She was forbidden to do so. She didn't understand why. So all she was allowed to do was mimic everyone else's light magic.

Everyone used a weapon, like a sword or spear. They would then transfer their inner light into the weapon so that it glowed a soft yellow. More experienced fighters could even shoot beams of light out from the end of their weapons.

Orihime had to practice endlessly so that it looked like she had the same magic as everyone else. If she put her full power into a sword it was go up in flames and produce a large orange haze around her. It took almost a year of practice to just get her sword to glow with a yellow light. She was told orange would not do.

 _Why am I so different?_

There was a rustling noise coming from outside. Ever so faint, but Orihime could sense something was out there. She got up from her bed and stood at the window. Nothing but complete blackness. Any other person would assume it was just an animal or the wind. Not Orihime. For the last couple of years she had always felt…. watched. Sometimes in her dreams she saw a pair of green eyes watching her. Often she got up and looked out the window for answers. Orihime often wondered if it was the Darkness. She felt silly thinking this. There was no way they would be watching her. Her hut was between two guard towers and 300 meters from the tree line.

The village itself was in the middle of a large clearing in the forest, with numerous trees scattered throughout the center. Around the village was a field used for crops and livestock. Then it was an endless forest and vast mountains. At the border of the village and near the tree line were guard towers. It was a double line security system. Rarely did the Darkness get into the heart of the village. Mostly the fighting happened in the fields and at the outskirts of the settlement.

For this reason, Orihime couldn't possibly fathom why any demon could be watching her when it put them at risk. It was also very close to dawn. The sun would rise soon and the creatures had to get back into their dark caves.

 _Stop being so curious about them…._

Orihime only lingered at the window for a little while longer. Instead of going back to bed, she decided to make breakfast and wait for her brother. She also didn't want to waste any daylight today. She had training to do.

 **XXXXXXXXXXX**

Unknown to the auburn haired women, a cloaked figure stood in the forest. He was deep enough to not be seen. His green eyes fixated on a hut elevated in a tree. On her.

 _Why am I here watching this woman?_

His orders had been clear, to watch the village for signs of the healer. Out of all his warrior brethren, he had the best eyesight. This task was for him alone. He knew the area in which the healer lived, but still not who.

Every night the hooded man waiting and observed. Many of the people lacked any short of aura.

 _The people of light are trash. Guards cannot even sense my presence. No one can…but her._

Once again it had happened. This strange woman gets up at night and looks out the window. To the dark figure it almost seemed like she looked right at him.

 _What a curious human you are, women._

 **XXXXXXXX**

The sun was high in the sky now. Orihime found herself deep in the woods, her usual training spot. She wanted to test her limits again. Her real power, not the toned down version the village elder wanted from her. Many years she had come to this spot. It was far from where the hunters set traps and not near any fruit trees. No one in the village came this way.

Orihime picked up her sword and closed her eyes. She concentrated on all the light within her. Within seconds there was a haze around her and her sword shown a brilliant orange and was lit aflame. With one strong swing of her sword and bright flash came out the tip and propelled forward destroying the trees in a 50-foot radius.

 _Yes! I am getting better!_

Only last year was Orihime able to annihilate things in her path within 30-feet. She quickly tossed her sword aside and raised her hands up while closing her eyes again. Soon after an orange radiance covered the whole area that had been destroyed. Orihime showed strain on her face. There were many objects to return to normal. She wanted to see how many she could do at once and how fast. Rapidly trees, grass, plants, and rocks began to rebuild themselves. When everything had gone back to normal, Orihime dropped to her knees and took deep breaths

"Less then 2 minutes…huff…. not bad…hufff…." She proudly said aloud.

Orihime quickly regained herself and did it again. She pushed harder each time she did it. She wanted to build up stamina as well not just skill. After the 4th time, She decided to take a break. She had destroyed the same surface area and regenerated it around the same amount of time as her first try. There was one more skill she needed to test and it was a dangerous method. She wanted to test her barriers strength and for that she needed to head towards the mountains.

Orihime picked up her sword and headed east. While she walked she thought about her powers. There were a lot of unanswered questions about her abilities. She knew her inner Light was far more powerful then anyone else. She also knew she had certain powers no one had; such has her barrier skills and her object regeneration. Orihime wasn't even sure what to call it. All she knew was that if she wanted something to be fixed it would go back to how it was before. She wanted to test this on as many things as she could.

Once, she had found an injured bird. Having never done a living creature before, she gave it a try. It had worked. She got a cut once, she tried and it worked. Then there was a time she found a dead fish on the riverbank. She attempted to bring it back to life, but had failed. Orihime never had problems with plants coming back to life but she guessed her power didn't work on animals that way. Orihime didn't have the heart to test this one. Killing an animal without purpose for an experiment seemed too cruel to her.

 _Does it matter how long it has been dead? If I kill an animal can I bring it back to life if I do it quickly? Or is all death final?_

As the red heads mind wondered she reached the mountains. They were tall and vast. There were many passageways that led through the peaks as well as natural arches. Countless caves scattered the mountainsides, that her people said to never venture into. Orihime decided to start out less dangerous today. She walked herself a little down on of the pathways. When she looked up she saw that at the top some of the stones connected to the other sides, similar to a natural bridge.

 _Perfect_

Orihime grabbed her sword and swung it upwards towards the rocks at the top. BOOM! They exploded sending down debris at a fast pace right at Orihime. Lifting her hand up, she formed what looked like a triangle above her head. The rocks smashed down onto her shield bouncing off violently. It had held again. It had even withheld the large boulders. Orihime returned the stone bridge and tried again. This time she wanted a bigger explosion with more rocks so it would test her shield.

After a few more times Orihime gave up. She was growing tired and she still had one more test to do. The real dangerous test, where she needed a cave. This was dangerous for two reasons:1- it was a cave where the Darkness dwell and 2- the walls and ceiling could all collapse upon her or crush her to death. Orihime was determined to do it. Never had she before and her last test was how fast she could put up her barrier. What better way to do so then being in a situation where rocks could crush you within a second?

It didn't take her long to find one…it was narrow and only around 6 and a half feet tall. She would need to react quickly. It was do or die. Orihime paused before entering the cave. She wasn't going in far; she would try and stay where the light touched. All her schooling about the Darkness made her hesitate. _What if one is right there?_ She thought to herself. Without thinking she called out into the pitch-black cave.

"Hello?" her voiced echoed. "Is there anyone in there?" there was nothing but silence. Orihime shrugged. She knew she was being idiotic. She didn't even know if the Darkness talked or not or even if they could. Taking a step forward, Orihime froze. Her mind might have been playing tricks on her. She could have sworn she saw eyes watching her; green eyes. The same green eyes from her dreams. She didn't feel scared. She felt curious and excited almost like they were sucking her in. Before she could take another step she was snapped into reality by a familiar voice.

"Orihime? What are you doing?" A man with black hair and bright blue eyes wore a concerned look on his face. He was atop a brown horse followed by others. He picked up speed to get close to the red head. He felt his heart racing as he saw her standing in front of a cave with a strange expression.

Orihime blinked, bringing herself back to reality. Uryu was coming towards her. Then she realized the group behind him also on horses. _Ahhh the hunters come along this way…_

"Ah hi Uryu! How was hunting? Will there be a feast tonight? She looked up at him with a smile.

"That's not important…what were you doing going into a cave? Also WHAT are you doing out here?"

"Umm…exercise?" Orihime really couldn't think of a better excuse. Any lie she told, Uryu would see through anyway. They had been friends with each other since she was 5 and he was 7. He probably knew her better then anyone.

"Orihime! Don-"

"Give it a rest Ishida… lecture her on your own time. We need to get back. Hey Orihime..hop on! We will give you a ride back!" An orange haired man came into view. He glared at Uryu. He could tell his friend was rather flustered having found Orihime near a cave. He understood the concern but he was tired and wanted to get back to the village. There was food to roast and his lady to kiss after all.

"Thank Ichigo!" Orihime was thankful her other friend was apart of this hunting party. Like Uryu, she had been friends with Ichigo since she was 5. He was the same age as Uryu but different then him in everyway. Ichigo didn't really ask questions. It was a good buffer. Without hesitation she ran up to his horse and got on. Displeasure was all over Uryu's face.

The hunting party plus Orihime headed back to the village unaware that a pair of emerald eyes had been watching them.

 _So her name is Orihime….._

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was almost time for the sun to set. Orihime was on watch tonight. She was still a little tired from her training earlier. It would be a long night. She put on her skintight sleeveless green tunic that ended above her mid thigh. Orihime always left her legs and arms uncovered. The more skin exposed the more of an advantage one had when the Darkness was close. Orihime did realize her look was…sexy. Her body had "serious" curves according to her brother's friend Rangiku. Her chest was well above average and sometimes she had troubles concealing them. In her current outfit they were hidden but being skintight defeated the purpose. Her outfit wasn't this way because she wanted to be sexy. She found looser clothes could hurt you in battle if they are grabbed or caught on something.

Sora walked in as Orihime was lacing up her knee high brown leather boots. He got nervous whenever she was on watch. _What is she uses too much power? What if she is taken?_ His thoughts raced about all the possibilities. His head was held low as Orihime stood up and put on her belt.

"I am off brother! Don't worry okay?"

"Orihime….you aren't wearing that outfit again are you? I am not ready for men to ask for your hand in marriage yet…."

"Sora! Marriage…jeez!"

"Orihime…your 18 now..."

"Stop! When someone is near 30 does that make them go CRAZY?"

"Pulling out the old man jokes now… I see I see…"

"I learned from the best really,"

Both Sora and Orihime looked at each other and stared laughing. They really enjoyed joking around. It helped them on days like this when one of them had to go and watch. Orihime walked over to her brother and gave him a big hug.

"Love you, old man,"

"Love you too, man crusher"

Orihime gave her brother a little punch on the shoulder. With one last wave she walked down the ramp and off to her assigned post. Sora watched her walk off into the setting sun hoping that the night will not bring any demons.

 **XXXXXXXX**

As Orihime approached her post she was surprised to see Uryu standing there. Her partner tonight was supposed to be her brothers' friend Yumichika.

"Uryu? What are you doing here? Thought you were with Renji today?"

"I switched. I wanted to spend time with you,"

Orihime gave a soft smile as she stood next to him. She knew what he wanted. He wanted to ask about today. She wasn't sure if she wanted to explain anything. He didn't know about her powers. He knew hers was different but he didn't know the extent. The village elders swore her and her brother to secrecy.

"Orihime?"

"Yes, Uryu?"

"There is some stuff I want to talk to you abo-"

"Look Uryu…I honestly don't know why I was near the cave. I was curious for only a moment, okay? I promise to never do it again.."

Uryu sighed deeply. He wasn't sure how he should say what he wanted to say. He had been preparing himself all day for this.

"No, that isn't exactly it…"

"Then what is it?" Orihime asked confused. He wasn't acting like himself. Normally they would talk about anything or joke around. She noticed he was acting nervous.

"We have been friends for…a really long time right?"

"Yep! About 13 years! Haha I remember we met while I was 5 and you were reading a book while everyone was playing. I couldn't have that!" Orihime giggled to herself recalling the memory.

"Ah yes…well….I really care for you Orihime…"

"Aww I really care about you too, Uryu!"

"No…What I am trying to say is…my feelings for you goes beyond friendship…."

Orihime's smile dropped. She could barely wrap her mind around his words. Never had she gotten that feeling from him. She felt very confused and unsure what to do next. _Was Sora right about the outfit?_ Before Orihime could speak, Uryu continued talking.

"Look…I know this is a shock to you. I-I am sorry for that. It's just…I have felt this way for some time now…and when I saw you by that cave today…I just-I wanted...I just.."

GONG GONG GONG

Orihime and Uryu's faces went pale. The alarm had gone off. The Darkness was here. Orihime's heart began to race. There was no more time for love confessions; a battle was about to begin. Uryu grabbed Orihime's hands before she could move. They faced each other looking both trying to find the right words.

"Please be careful…" was all that Orihime could get out and she let go of his hand and stared to run. Only moments later Uryu snapped out of his daze and followed suit.

The battle had already started and the villagers were already pushed back towards the edge of the village. Many had come out of their houses ready to fight. As Orihime got closer she noticed that there was something different about this attack. Normally only a few showed up but this time it seemed like there was close to 50 members of Darkness. Flashes of light and dark smoke were already littering the battlefield.

Orihime grabbed her sword and focused. She was careful to make it glow the right amount. With a strong thrust she projected a light getting a direct hit on two Darkness in the process. They fell to the ground with an inhuman squeal. They had turned to ash. She had no time to celebrate another had gotten behind her with ultra fast speed and swung their weapon down onto her. Steal hit steal with a loud clank. They were very strong and large in size. Orihime was having trouble pushing it off. She had never been this close to them before. The opening of the cloak was so close to her. She couldn't see inside but she could feel hot breath on her face. It felt like they were toying with her. They pressed down again causing Orihime's feet to slide on the grass. She was getting overpowered and a black mist began to come from within its cloak. Orihime knew if that touched her it could consume and kill her. As a last ditch effort Orihime yelled and slammed her hand inside the opening of the cloak. She made contact with what felt like a human face and then she heard the scream. The scream sounded not of an animal, but of a human. The hooded figure then pushed back covering the spot she had touched with it's hand and started to back away. She had burned their skin.

Orihime wanted to get away from the large cloaked figure. She wouldn't have a chance like that again and she knew that they were strong and that she had pissed them off.

"Orihime! Quick help me move the wounded! We need to hurry!"

Orihime whipped around and saw that Ichigo and many others were moving the injured away from the fight. Many were cut with weapons and were bleeding out or worse they had been exposed to the black smoke. It was quickly spreading throughout their bodies. In 2 minutes without medicine they would die. There were so many. Orihime raced over and reached for her belt. Everyone on watch carried some medicine with them, she just wished it would be enough.

As fast as she could Orihime put white powder in their mouths hoping it wasn't too late. Everything seemed like a blurr. There was so much blood. Never had it been so bad before.

"I am almost out of medicine! We all need more!" a woman cried

Orihime looked over her shoulder at a supply table and ran off.

"I got it!"

Orihime ran faster then she thought possible. Hot tears started to fall from her eyes. So many were suffering. So many were dead already. She hated herself she wanted to use her power so badly.

 _Orihime…if you use your power in front of Darkness you will kill us all…_

Chief Yamamoto's words rang in her head _No NO NO I don't want that!_

Orihime got to the supply table and grabbed a large pouch that contained medicine and started to run back. When she was about to reach the others something made her stop in her tracks. One of the darkness appeared and stood between her and everyone else. Orihime began to panic. _They need the medicine…_ thinking quickly she tossed the sack as far as she could towards her comrades. Thankfully it landed where it needed to go. The member of Darkness didn't pay attention to what she tossed at all. Their eyes were straightforward on her. Orihime reached for her sword only to dread that fact it wasn't there. She had placed it down when she was giving people medicine. She looked up at the figure. It kept getting closer to her. Orihime then saw those familiar eyes staring at her. Without even meaning to she had stepped forward towards the figure. All the sound around her seemed to be muted as she stared at the emerald orbs.

They didn't attack. They didn't move. They just looked. Orihime strangely felt no fear. Orihime felt dazed. She only snapped out of it when she heard a familiar voice.

"ORIHIME!" Sora's voice was in a panic when she saw his sister within feet of one of the Darkness. He was out on the battlefield when he caught a glimpse of her red hair. He started to run without caring of his surroundings.

"Sora?" Orihime looked over at her brother who was coming towards her. The figure in front of her shifted its head in the direction of her brother.

Without warning the large member of darkness from before appeared behind Sora and stuck his weapon straight through Sora's stomach. With black smoke seeping from the wound. The large figure kicked his off his weapon making Sora crash to the ground.

"SORAAAA!" Orihime let out an ear-shattering scream and started to go to her brother.

 _No no no no no no no no! be okay be okay be okay…._

When Orihime got to Sora she was mortified. Almost his whole stomach area had been ripped away. The black smoke was infecting his body rapidly. He was coughing up blood and somehow still clinging to life. Orihime began to cry. He was dying.

"Sora no! no! please NO!"

An orange haze began to form as it flickered on and off until Orihime let out a loud scream and slammed her hands on the ground. Instantly an orange glow surrounded Sora.

She had broken the rule. The number one rule….and she didn't care.

Orihime looked on as his wound stared to heal. She couldn't help but smile.

 _He is going to make it! He will make it! Just a little longer. Hold on Sora, hol-_

Someone had come behind Orihime hitting her on the head, knocking her out cold.

The orange glow went away


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Runaway**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Bastard! What is your problem!?" A blue haired man was fuming with rage. "Why did we retreat? Huh? She was right there! We finally found her. Tell me Ulquiorra! Why the HELL did we not take her?!" He pointed his finger aggressively to prove his point.

They were now in the middle of the woods far from the village. The hooded figures grouped together waiting for commands. They looked to their leader who stood silently with his hands in his cloaks pockets.

Ulquiorra looked over his shoulder at his heated comrade. It was correct he had given the order to back off. It had caught him by surprise that the woman was in fact the healer. _That must have been the reason I was drawn to her presence,_ he thought to himself. He had stood back and watched as she cried and screamed for her brother's life only for her own people to stop her. They wasted no time hitting her over the head knocking her unconscious. _Curious_ … It was after that happened he spot a green light into the sky to signal a retreat.

"HEY! DON"T IGNORE ME!"

"Silence Grimmjow," Ulquiorra spat with disgust. He couldn't take his constant whining. "Lord Aizen put me in charge of this mission. Now do as I say and return to the keep."

Confused faces looked at each other and back at Ulquiorra. He glared back at them; he didn't like repeating himself. "Go, trash…"

The members started to slowly head back to the caves. Only two remained after a few minutes: Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra started to walk away when a calmer Grimmjow, who wore an uneasy expression, stopped him.

"What the hell Ulquiorra… Isn't this what we have been waiting for? We-"

"Grimmjow" Ulquiorra's voice was flat and cold as he interrupted. He turned around and stared at Grimmjow in the eyes. He saw desperation. "Do you honestly think I have no plan? Now go. Go back and tell Lord Aizen I shall return with the women before the 2nd full moon."

"2nd full moon!?" Grimmjow roared, "Why would it take you-"

"Silence…. If you need to ask why then you really have no intelligence…"

Without waiting for a reply, Ulquiorra ran off left leaving Grimmjow alone with nothing but his rage.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The room was filled with a soft glow of the morning dawn. The pain within her body awoke Orihime. Her head throbbed for unknown reasons. With heavy eyes she looked around the room to an unfamiliar setting. The room had no decoration or any sign that it was previously lived in. it just had an old bed and a small table. _Where am I? Why does my head hurt? What happened?_ She slowly propped herself up on the bed. She was still dressed in her clothes from last night. On the other side of the curtain she heard hushed voices that seemed to stop when they heard her move around. Within seconds a tall man with long brown hair popped his head in to look at her. He hesitated when he saw that Orihime was awake. It seemed like he wasn't sure what to say. This left Orihime even more confused. _Why is on of the leaders looking at me?_ She was felt the back of her head, wincing at the tender bump that had formed.

"Chief Yamamoto, she is awake! Umm…. Orihime dear, do you think you can come sit with us?" The man said softly motioning for her to get off the bed.

Shunsui Kyoraku did not want to have this conversation. He watched as the red head slowly got up from the bed and walk towards him with a blank expression. He was there at the battle and saw what had happened. Guilt was rising up in him. He couldn't speak for the others, but he felt regret. _We had made the wrong decision years ago…._

Kyoraku lead Orihime to a table where 4 others were sitting: Chief Yamamoto, Jushiro Ukitake, Soi Fong, and Mayuri Kurotsuchi. These were the leaders of the village. Orihime noticed their grim expressions the closer she got to her seat. She didn't know them well personally, but she knew they always called upon her brother. _My brother…._ Orihime took a big inhale as she sat down remembering last nights events. Her mind was racing. She remembered green eyes and her brother calling to her. There was an orange light…. then nothing but pitch black. Orihime started to panic. _Why isn't Sora here….What happened…._

"Where is my brother?" Orihime asked loudly. She didn't care about being rude. There was silence. 5 pairs of eyes could not match hers. She looked around at each of them waiting for a response. Nothing. She was loosing patience.

"Where is HE!?" She slammed her hands on the table. Tears started to fill her eyes as more and more of last night came to her. She remembered why there was an orange light now: her powers. Realization had set in and her breathing got heavy and fast. The tears flowed quickly and felt hot on her cheeks.

"Orihime, please calm down…" the black haired female tried to soothe her. It had failed. Orihime stood up and started shouting.

"Where is SORA! You all are just sitting there! Why are you not saying anything?! I was healing him… NOW WHERE IS HE?!"

"Orihime…" Chief Yamamoto started. His voice was deep and precise. He felt for the girl but he had anger of his own. "You have broken the rules. You used your powers at night. Now you will never be safe nor will our village. You do not realize what you have done?"

Orihime eyed the older man in disbelief. She had become angrier. He avoided her question and was attacking her.

"What I have done? WHAT I HAVE DONE?! Are you serious? HOW am I supposed to know what I have done when you have never told me WHY I shouldn't use my powers? If it were SO important- you would think you would have shared that with me. NOW WHERE IS MY BROTHER!"

"He is dead…"

"What?" her voice started to break. "I-impossible…I-I-I-I was healing him…he was going back to normal…" At the moment Orihime remembered the pain in the back of her head. Her eyes widened and her face became paler. "Who stopped me?…WHO?!"

Orihime began to hyperventilate. _He can't be dead. It can't be real. It is a lie..a lie…_ No one at the table was talking. They all tried there best to not look up at her as she desperately tried to find the answer. Her cries began to fill the room. The white longhaired man called Ukitake couldn't take it anymore.

"Orihime….What happened to your brother was terrible. But please understand…. We couldn't let them see how strong your powers are…. it may be too late now, but Orihime. Please take our apology and listen to what we need you to do."

"Take your apology?" Orihime scoffed between tears. "You basically killed my brother! You want me to blindly listen to you all?"

Orihime got up from her chair and slowly backed away. She didn't want to be in the same room as these people. Her heart was already in pieces; she couldn't take anymore from them. Turning on her heel she ran out of the hut at full speed.

"ORIHIME! Come back!" Soi Fong yelled after her. She was about to get up and chase after her when Chief Yamamoto stopped her.

"There is no use talking to her now. Let her be. She needs to grieve. We will find her later today and have the talk with her." The village leader sat back in his chair and took a long sigh.

"I think we made a mistake…." Kyoraku begain, "We should have told her from the beginning about everything...we shou-"

"It is too late," Mayuri interjected. "We made that decision 8 years ago. She needs to learn that one death doesn't matter when the whole village could come under danger."

"Yea, but what I am saying, Mayuri, is that this could have been avoided if-"

"Enough," Chief Yamamoto cut them off. He was tired and their conversations were going nowhere, "We will tell her everything before nightfall. Those demons will be back for her tonight. We need to ready…"

 **XXXXXXXXX**

Orihime had run to her hut as fast as she could. When she entered the door it didn't feel like the same place anymore. Any warmth there once was vanished. It made her skin crawl. Bypassing her room, she went straight to where Sora slept. Part of her was thinking it was a bad dream and she would find him sleeping. Empty. Helplessly, she collapsed to the floor. Nothing was right. This wasn't how life was supposed to go. Her mind was racing and her tears were unending.

Her brother is all she knew in life. Her parents were gone. She had friends but none of them could ever compare to him. The townspeople were kind enough but after what the heads of the village did she wasn't so sure anymore. She barely understood anything. Everything seemed very complicated. Orihime remained on the floor staring at the wall. Her mind was searching for an answer. She thought about the events of last night. It had all come back to her now. Recalling the moment the blade went through Sora made her body shake. Everything happened very fast. She shook her head quickly as to erase the mental imagine. She tried to focus on what happened before when she was staring at pair of emerald eyes.

 _What was that about? I've seen those eyes before. Why didn't it attack me? Why was I not afraid?_

After an hour, Orihime sat up straight. She had been slouched down clutching Sora's pillow. Over and over again she thought of 'why' or 'how' last nights events happened. She had been rifling through her mind on what she should do next. Everything seemed rather bleak to her. She could stay and have her life dictated for her. Or possibly be an outcast for the rest of her life. She honestly had no clue what the leaders goals were. They needed something from her but Orihime wasn't so keen and letting them have their way. Then there was her other option, running away. It solved nothing and was dangerous. The next village of any kind was a 4-day journey. Running away wouldn't be what Sora would want her to do. He would have wanted her to be brave and strong. _There is a third option…_

Without a second thought she got up and grabbed a bag. She filled it with clothes and any food she could find. She decided she was going to leave. Orihime wasn't going to run away. She needed to get to the bottom of this and find a solution; to find answers. She had a feeling she would get them from those green eyes.

 **XXXXXXXXX**

Ulquiorra went to his usual spot, out of sight of the watchers, and waited. There was more people patrolling then ever before. It seemed like the Village of Light was expecting another battle. _What fools they are._ He shifted his attention to where the woman dwelled. There were no light or any sign someone was in there. Ulquiorra quickly changed his vantage point. He noticed some people in a panic. Out of all the years he has looked upon this village he noticed they seemed to hold some importance. Ulquiorra had assumed them to be the leaders, especially the old man with the lengthy white beard. They were yelling at each other. _What are you searching for?_ Ulquiorra closed his eyes and focused. He honed his ears and listened.

"I couldn't find her at her hut!"

"Have you checked the Light temple, Soi Fong?"

"Do you not think I looked there first after she wasn't at home? Ukitake did you ask around to her friends?"

"…None had seen her. Most of them are still in shock about last night…"

"She must be here…we must keep looking. Mayuri search the east, Kyoraku go south, Soi Fong the west, and Ukitake go north. I will stay central. She is here. We must find her."

Ulquiorra opened his eyes. _They have lost her?….No. She isn't here anymore. How interesting._ He turned on his heel and quickly set off into the woods.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It has been 3 days since Orihime had left the village. She was getting to her limit. Each day she rode for hours and hours to put distance between her and the village. She didn't want anyone to find her. She wasn't ready to go back. The distance she hoped would draw the Darkness away from the village. They knew who she was, clearly they would find out she wasn't there anymore. In her own way, this was her method of keeping the village safe. She may have hated the leaders but she was still attached to her friends.

At night she waited. She put her barrier up around her and the horse and gazed into the night. Each night could have been her last. The Darkness could have come at any minute. She didn't know if they would take or kill her. All she could do was keep the barrier up and be on the look out. In the past 3 days, she barely had gotten any sleep. She was physically and mentally exhausted. Her mind was consumed with Sora and her fate.

The sun was setting and she prepared for the long night ahead. She had started a fire and let the horse graze in a grassy patch close to the campsite. She made the fire bigger then all the other nights. She wanted to be found and didn't think she could keep up her routine for much longer. Orihime relaxed against a rock and ate some fruit she found. The sun seemed to go down faster then usual tonight. Once the last beam of light could be seen, her barrier went up. All the years of practicing had ready paid off. She could maintain her shield for over 10 hours. It exhausted her but she did feel accomplished.

Hours passed and it seemed like it would be another night without interruption. Orihime wondered if she should just try and sleep when she heard a branch break in the distance. She sat up quickly and tired to pinpoint where the noise had come from. There was nothing but silence. _An animal maybe?_ Disappointed she slouched back down. Another hour seemed to pass when a familiar feeling washed over her. It felt like all those times at her window and that time at the cave. She sensed she was being watched.

Orihime jumped to her feet and spun around to figure out where it was coming from. Her heart began to race. _This is it..._ she thought. She kept turning trying to find the source with no luck. With one last turn she was surprised to see a cloaked figure only a few feet from the barrier. Seeing the figure so suddenly caused Orihime to trip over herself and fall to the ground. Not once did her eyes break contact. She felt no fear. _Why is that?_ They both just stared at each other like they did on the battlefield. Orihime was certain it was the same hooded creature. She didn't let her guard down as she stood back up. From all of her lessons on the Darkness she didn't know if they could speak but she figured that maybe it would understand her.

"Hello? Why are you looking for me?" Orihime made her voice sound tough. There was nothing but the noise of the forest. _I guess they can't speak after all…_

"You cannot speak but can you understa-"

"Of course I can speak. I am not some mindless creature your people assume me to be," the voice was deep and smooth. It sent a shiver up her spine. It sounded so human like. There was no growls or malice. Orihime was wide eyed. The voice continued.

"Do you not know why I am here?" He questioned her with a slight bit of amusement in his voice.

"No…. but I came here to get answers."

"Answers? Tell me girl, why do you seek answers from your enemy and not your own people?"

Orihime paused. She didn't exactly want to reveal her distain for the village at the moment, least of all to the Darkness. "I have my reasons…." She said coyly. The more they spoke the more curious she got. She wanted to know what the he looked like. Ever since she was young she had imagined what could be under those black cloaks. After hearing how human his voiced sounded compared to the screams of other Darkness members, she really wanted to know.

"Isn't rude to talk without revealing your identity to me?" _Oh that is a terrible excuse Orihime…_

"Isn't it rude to be using your powers so strongly near me?" the voice quipped back

"I cannot trust if you will kill me or not…"

"That is strange, you want answers yet you do not trust I wont kill you.."

"How can I? Your kind has killed many of my people!"

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have easily already done so."

Orihime looked at the figure more strongly. She already knew he didn't want to kill her, at least not right away. Orihime came to get answers and that also meant a certain level of risk. Strengthening her resolve she spoke again.

"If I take down my shield…will you take down your hood?" There was another pause. The hooded male appeared to be thinking. Moments later he spoke.

"Agreed."

"But if you try anything, do not think for a second I wont attack you…" Orihime warned.

"…"

Orihime took a deep breath. A small part of her was scared of what would happen when the barrier went down. More then fear she felt excitement. She wanted to see. Soon after she took down her shield. She could feel the soft breeze of the wind against her skin. Her heart was beating so loud she was sure he would hear it.

He slowly reached for his hood only hesitating for a moment until he pulled it back revealing what was underneath. Orihime couldn't help by drop her jaw when she saw him. He looked more human then she was led to believe. First it was his eyes she saw. She knew they were green but without the cover of the cloak they were a gorgeous bright emerald. His skin was as white as milk only interrupted by two thin green streaks down his cheeks. It almost looked like he had cried green tears and it had stained. His hair was jet black that framed his face and went just above his shoulders.

"Does my appearance shock you?" he asked breaking the quiet atmosphere. Orihime had been staring at his face for longer then normal. She could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"AHH no..noo.. well I didn't expect you to look so….normal I guess." His expression changed ever so slightly by her statement.

"Normal? Do not compare me to humans, girl. I am far from it."

"Sorry… I just…"

"Enough, do you wish to know answers?"

"Yes. Please I need to know everything," Orihime stepped closer to him to prove her determination.

"Are you afraid, girl?" He looked down to her intensely. It almost seemed to Orihime that he was saying 'there is no turning back now'. Orihime squeezed her hands into tight fists. There was no going back. _Brother keep me strong…_

"I am not afraid," her voice was steady and calm. Without saying another word the man slowly turned and started walking away. Orihime knew he wanted her to follow. She quickly started to gather her things and ready the horse. He seemed to be walking slowly as if waiting for her. Orihime didn't know what would happen to her. Any normal person would be scared or worried. Orihime felt nothing but elation when she looked into his eyes. Taking a step forward, a small smile ran across her lips. She hadn't smiled in 3 days. It felt good. Orihime looked at the back of the man walking in front of her.

"What is it that I should call you? I am Orihime…" The man stopped walking and looked over his shoulder at her.

"I know who you are, girl" there was a slight pause before he started walking off again. Orihime sighed. _I am going to have to get use to his personality I guess._

"Call me Ulquiorra,"

Once again a small smile graced Orihime's lips.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey all, sorry for the wait! Thanks for reading! Hope you like it!

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chapter 4: Explosion

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The night was silent, almost too silent for Orihime's liking. The forest was dense making walking a straight line difficult. She walked alongside her horse as she followed her pale-faced companion. There were no words spoken between them. It wasn't that Orihime didn't have questions, she had many, but she was too exhausted to properly hold a conversation. She couldn't let her guard down now. She decided to follow him to get answers. Where they were going, she didn't know. All Orihime knew was that she needed to hold just a little while longer. The sun would be up within the hour. She would finally be able to rest.

Orihime looked ahead at the raven-haired man. _What is he exactly? He said he was not a human. Is he a demon? Are all of the Darkness the same? Is there anything else under his cloak?_ Orihime mind pondered about him. She wanted to ask but had a feeling she wouldn't get many answer out of him, at least not yet.

Orihime had to admit; his attractiveness had thrown her off guard. She expected that the Darkness would look like goblins. What threw her off the most was his voice. It was so deep and somber it made her body shake. His voice was unlike any she had heard at her village. She hated that her eyes wanted to follow him. Even though she only heard a few sentences from him, she wanted to hear him speak again. She couldn't figure out why but she felt like this was all supposed to happen. Like she was meant see him and be with him now.

"We will stop here. The sun will rise soon," his deep voice had cut through her thoughts. Her wish was granted faster then she assumed. Without realizing it, they had traveled out of the forest and were now at the edge of the mountain range. Orihime inspected her surroundings trying to get her mind straight. _You are only thinking he of him because you are tired…._

Ulquiorra was now facing Orihime. His cold stare was going unnoticed by the red head. He stood in front of a small cave opening. He waited for her attention to be turned to him. Time was running out. Growing impatient, Ulquiorra broke the long silence between them.

"Go inside. Now," his voice seemed to ring in Orihime ears. She shot up and looked at him with a stunned expression and a slight blush. She looked confused and then a serious look came over her. "I will not go into the caves," Orihime said finally.

"What? It is not a suggestion. It is an order," he sounded mildly annoyed but her disobedience.

"I will not go into the caves," Orihime repeated again.

"And why is that?" he questioned more seriously.

"I don't want to," was all Orihime could get out as an explanation. She couldn't explain it, but she had a feeling if she went in the caves now she would never see light again. It just felt dangerous. This was clearly an answer Ulquiorra didn't want to hear.

"I don't want to is not an excuse. Get in… Now," Although he didn't raise his voice, it almost seemed like he was yelling this command to her. Orihime didn't know what to say. She didn't want to admit to him that she was currently weak. She didn't think he would harm her yet, but she wanted to be careful. He didn't seem like the type of man who enjoyed vague justifications. Taking a deep breath she decided honest.

" I am so tired. I don't want to rest in the caves after exhausting my powers. I-I want to be at my best… please let me sleep where I know I am safe."

Ulquiorra looked at Orihime for a few moments. Her face was pale and her eyes seemed heavy. The girl was indeed fatigued. No matter what, she wouldn't last being awake for much longer. This was an inconvenience to him but he had no other choice.

"Do as you wish" was all he said as he turned and entered the cave. Ulquiorra sat down close enough to the opening that he could still see her. Upon hearing his words she had quickly went in her bag and got out a blanket and pillow. Without thinking much of where to sleep she dropped down instantly where she stood.

Within minutes she was fast asleep and the sun had risen. Ulquiorra watched her from inside the safety of the cave. He never slept nor was he ever drained of his energy. It was hard to sympathize with her humans needs.

Ulquiorra was a little surprised by the girl. He expected her to bombard him with questions the moment they had started walking. He too had questions for her. He wanted to know why she didn't seem afraid at all. He had never encountered a human like her before. There were no pleas or fright in her eyes. He saw none of that. What he did see was curiosity and excitement. _She must be defective…._

His eyes were still glued to the girls sleeping figure. He thought it was peculiar how his eyes always found her. He had watched the Light Village for years and he always seemed drawn to her aura. On the battlefield he had no reason to get close to her. His body had moved on his own. He didn't exactly understand his movements. But after finding out she was the healer, Ulquiorra decided that was the reason for his actions and he turned her body away as the sun started to rise.

His orders were clear, bring her back to Lord Aizen. This girl was the answer they had been waiting for. It had been hundreds of years since the last healer was born. They had been waiting in the darkness. That time was now over.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Chief Yamamoto. I would like to go out and try and find her…" Uryu stood before the leaders of the village. He hadn't seen Orihime in days and was unbelievably worried. He saw what happened that night. Her powers were unlike anything he had ever seen before. She had never mentioned it to him at all. Uryu was in complete shock. He had gone to her hut after receiving medical treatment that morning only to see that she had vanished. Uryu had hoped she was just out and would return, but each day there was no sign of her. He feared the worse. But he had hope she was out there and alive.

"I forbid it. You have no idea where she is or even if she could be alive. We cannot waste a life of a good warrior!" Chief Yamamoto spat. The disappearance of Orihime and her defiance was a very sore subject for the chief. He took it as her turning her back on her people.

Chief Yamamoto continued "Orihime Inoue is lost to us now. If she is alive she will return on her own. We must pray that she doesn't end up killing us all."

Uryu looked at the chief in disbelief. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. They were going to do nothing. They acted like they were angry with Orihime. His mind raced as he shot them one more pleading look. The other leaders sat behind chief Yamamoto not matching Uryu's gaze. Uryu knew that their conversation was finished. His emotions were rising up inside of him as he walked away.

Uryu had been in love with Orihime for years. He couldn't just sit by and wait knowing that she could be out there alone, or worse, with the Darkness. The night of the battle was supposed to be his confession. After seeing Ichigo's and Rukia's relationship progress from friends to lovers, it gave him some confidence to confess his feelings. He was hoping that his heart would reach her even a little. In all the years he had known her, she never shown interest in anybody. Many men pined after her. She was the village beauty. But she was so much more then that. Not many of them knew how strong she was. That's why Uryu knew deep down that she was alive.

He walked through the village after his unsuccessful campaign. Everything seemed like it was back to normal. The hunters went out to hunt, bakers made their bread and the young laughed and played. None of that seemed natural to him anymore. If this was life without her here, he didn't want it His decision was clear. If the village leaders weren't going to put together a search party, he was going to have to do it alone.

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The last beam of light disappeared behind the pointed peaks of the mountains. Ulquiorra stirred from his sitting position deep in the cave. He had made himself as comfortable as he possibly could. He had taken off his thick protective cloak to help ease his mind. The cloaks helped in battle but they were far from pleasant to have on. Ulquiorra was upset because he had watched the woman far too much for his liking, again. He had ventured deep inside to rid his mind of any ridiculous thoughts.

Ulquiorra concluded that the woman must have awoken by now. When he approached the entrance he had noticed that Orihime had moved slightly. She was closer to the cave opening but still fast asleep. She had slept throughout the whole day.

"Girl…it is time," he made his voice loud so she would wake from it. There was no response. Moving a little closer he spoke again. "Wake up." She moved faintly, but gave no indication that she had woken up. Ulquiorra walked around her body to get a better view of her face. Her eyes were closed but her expression got Ulquiorra's attention. She was crying and gritting her teeth like she was trying to hold in a scream.

"No…." a faint whisper passed through her lips. "Stop…"

 _A nightmare?_

"NO…NO" her voice became louder and louder.

"Woman. Wake up. You are having a nightmare" His words did nothing as she smarted to move around more violently. He needed to stop her from potentially hurting herself. He reached out then paused.

 _I cannot touch her…_

"So-" her voice became hushed suddenly. Her body started to glow a light orange color. Ulquiorra paused. He had seen her light before but this wasn't the same. The light brought him a bad feeling and started to gather up in an angry fashion. He had no idea what was happening as the light started growing bigger and bigger. He needed to get away. Something was wrong. He wasn't safe.

"SORA!" Her scream echoed through the forest as a large orange explosion erupted around her. Everything in its path was destroyed in a fiery blaze. Trees were reduced to ash and the mountainside, including the cave, was pulverized into fine sand. The eruption as fast as it had happen then suddenly evaporated.

Orihime shot up gasping for air. Her mind was a mess. She had dreamt of Sora's death. It repeated over and over again in her mind. Tormenting her. She felt like she was going to suffocate. Her body felt like it had snapped in two and was being pulled apart. Catching her breath, she lifted up her head and noticed something was off. There was smoke everywhere and the ground was ash ridden where grass once was. Orihime's eyes broadened as the haze cleared around her reveling the damage she had unknowingly done.

 _How did this happen?_

The clouds moved passed the moon, uncovering its brightness. It showed Orihime the extent of the damage. Her jaw dropped and her eyes filled with tears. Everything around her in a 100-foot radius was destroyed. The crumbling mountain had a massive chunk taken out of it and the earth was scorched from an inferno. Orihime stood up hardly believing her eyes. It was unlike anything that had ever happened before. It took her a while for her head to think straight again and gain her whereabouts. Her breathing stopped as she looked at the mountain where the cave used to be.

 _Ulquiorra!_ Realization hit that he might have been in the cave during this phenomenon. It filled her body with a sense of dread. _No! Oh please no!_

"Ulquiorra?" she called out into the night. Her panting was loud as she kept turning her body in hope that he would come out the forest unscathed. She was met with a sickening silence. The sight of the destruction overwhelmed her. She didn't know if Ulquiorra or if her horse were caught up in the blast. Every passing second her heart shattered even more.

Out of view to Orihime, Ulquiorra sat against a tree. A thick pool of black blood surrounded him. He had gotten away from her quickly but he underestimated the blasts speed and distance. The explosion took off his entire right arm and leg. He had lost limps before during a battle, but he always grew back his appendages within seconds. Unlike most of his comrades, he had extremely fast regeneration. If the body party was not vital to live, he can revitalize it. It had been well past his normal healing speed and nothing had grown back. He couldn't stop the bleeding either. He was one of the strongest among his companions but in the three hundred years he had been alive he never felt so close to death.

He watched Orihime as she started restoring the mountain and the surrounding trees. She had called out Ulquiorra's name countless times. He just observed her. There were tears in her eyes. _Tears for me? How foolish._ Ulquiorra started to feel lightheaded. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. He looked down at his wounds to see his any part of his body was turning to ash. He saw nothing but his thick pitch-black blood oozing from where his arm and leg should have been.

"Ulquiorra!" her voice made him raise his head. It sounded closer then before. His eyes had widened when he saw that she had finished repairing the destroyed area. It looked like nothing had happened. Every tree or blade of grass was back in its original state. _Her power is stronger then we had imagined._ Orihime was now searching the forest: for him. Ulquiorra's stare followed her as she moved around franticly. He had half a thought to call out to her but stopped himself. His pride got in the way.

"Ulquiorra! Oh..no…Don't move!" She had spotted him. He slowly turned his face toward her. He watched as she ran as fast as she could to where he rested. He knew her speed but it all seemed to be in slow motion. Her hair moved behind her looking like the blaze itself while her eye seemed to shine brighter then the moon. _You must be close to death.._

"Oh no, no no…there is so much blood!" Ulquiorra didn't think it was possible but her eyes seemed to have filled with more tears. Orihime immediately kneeled down beside him inspecting his wounds. She was taken back for a moment by his murky blood. He had lost a lot, more then she had ever seen. She was astonished that he was still awake.

"It is fine woman." Ulquiorra lied through his teeth.

"I-I- can heal you…" she paused and her voice trailed off. Ulquiorra knew what her hesitations were.

" You think it will kill me because I am a demon?" he mocked as he tried to shift his body. "I don't know woman." His voice became hoarse and his body was running cold. _How pathetic. This is how you meet your end? Blood loss? Inflicted to you by some crying girl….._

Without a word Orihime rose to her feet. Her legs were stained from the blood that gathered on the ground. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. _Heal him… you want to heal him. Don't hurt Ulquiorra._ She repeated those words over and over again. She needed to believe in herself.

With one last exhale, she shot her eyes open and an orange glow started to engulf around his figure.

 _Heal him_


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait. I really care about this story…. But stuff like life got me hard haha…. Don't worry I will finish this story to the end. But thank you for your patience. Any comments and opinions are welcomed! Thanks for all the support.**

 **I just finished my other story Melon Candy so check it out!**

 **Love you all!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 5: Sweet Apples**

It started with a slight tingle with were his appendages should have been. There was no pain, but more of a quiver going throughout his core. His body felt warmth like none other before. His gaze was fixated on his arm as veins and muscle returned connecting his limb once again. Soon his milk white skin covered over the flesh. His arm was back. Looking down his saw that his leg was starting the same process. Ulquiorra watched on as he saw his blood starting to disappear from the ground. The black pool they sat in before was no more then rocky grass.

He was not harmed nor did he turn into ash upon her healing. He was engulfed in her powers like any normal person. Ulquiorra didn't know how to process this. It was suppose to be impossible. _She can do it…. She can heal us all…_

After the last bit of his body was restored, Orihime bent over with her hands on the ground, the light vanished immediately. She was trying to catch her breath. Never in all her practice had she mended so much on a living creature. It seemed that living-moving organisms completely strain her. Her body felt empty as if her life force had been removed forcefully. She wanted to collapse.

Ulquiorra remained silent as she observed the woman. She had become pale and had said nothing. The only sound that was heard around them was Orihime's deep and frantic breaths.

"Are….uhh…you okay?" She managed to choke out between pants.

Ulquiorra continued his silence. He looked down at his newly restored arm and leg. He felt as light as air. However, he was still in disbelief. The light kills the dark and the dark kills the light. He could not fathom how this was possible. It was baffling. She continued to stare at him waiting for some sort of confirmation on his status. Feeling her eye on him Ulquiorra finally responded.

"I am okay, girl…." He said in a hushed voice. Orihime used her last bit of strength to smile. Within seconds, she had passed out. Ulquiorra sat there not knowing what to do. He couldn't touch her so moving her wasn't an option. He just watched as she quietly slept next to him. Her red hair blanketed the forest floor that only moments ago, was covered in blood. He watched as her body softly rose up and down as she took shallow breaths. He sat and watched with his head full of nonsense. Shaking his head he turned his emerald eyes into the black of the woods. He had to come up with a plan. The caves were impossible now. He couldn't risk her having another episode and destroying the mountain from within. The horse was also nowhere to be seen. However, the stallion wasn't near Orihime when it happened, so he suspected it had run away scared. He thought of finding it, but it didn't feel right to leave her alone.

 _What if she awakens when I am gone?_ Was how he reasoned with himself to keep sitting beside her. Ulquiorra closed his eyes trying to find any solution. No horse and no caves. A human doesn't possess incredible speed. He couldn't be in the sun. Ulquiorra sighed. The journey would be longer then expected. This was very inconvenient. It was then that he heard the girl stir next to him

"How long was I out for?" Orihime said almost as if she was embarrassed. She looked tired. Orihime could have sworn there was a look of astonishment upon his never changing face.

"Only a few minutes." He responded dryly. He broke eye contact instantly.

"I am sorry… I guess I used my powers too quickly. I…" She paused not knowing what to say. She was still in disbelief. She had destroyed everything around her without meaning to do so. What also stunned her was the fact she had healed him. Her eyes looked at his arm and leg. It was hard to imagine moments ago they were both torn flesh and blood. His cream white skin didn't even have a scratch. Her eye focused on how smooth it's appearance was. It was then that Orihime realized he didn't have his cloak on. She was almost taken back to how normal he had looked. No wing, scales, or tail. His body looked of a fit human man. He wore all black from his tunic, which was similar to the males in her village, to his pants and laced up boots. His clothes seemed to be more form fitting and it showed off his physique. He was thin but Orihime could tell his was very toned. Ulquiorra noticed her eyes tracing his body and decided to break the silence.

"Can you move?" He expected her eyes to meet his, but she continued to look at his body and gave a small nod to his question. Her lingering looks left a sharp pain in his chest. Becoming uncomfortable with the throbbing, he stood. Orihime finally broke her gaze and followed suit with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"What are we going to do?" she asked coming back to her senses. She looked around taking in her surrounding. It really looked like nothing happened. However, something was missing. Her eyes grew larger. Ulquiorra without hearing her say a word knew what she was about to panic over.

" Your horse ran away…" after seeing her relax, he continued. "We cannot travel by cave system anymore. We only have the option of traveling on foot close to the mountains. Gather your things. We have lost precious night." His voice came out more annoyed then intended. He just wanted the constant thumping in his body to stop. He turned on his heel and headed back to the cave he was in before. Although probably destroyed, he had no doubt that his cloak was restored along with everything else.

Orihime slowly got up. Her body still felt heavy. She didn't dare tell him she needed to rest more. Everything was her fault. She decided to just stay quiet. She was sure she had aggravated him. Orihime went to gather her bag and sword. She thanked her lucky stars that she had taken it off the horse earlier. Ulquiorra was waiting for her by the cave entrance with his cloak back on, leaving Orihime slightly disappointed.

Without anything being said, they both started on their journey.

 **XXXXXXXX**

The sun was just above the horizon. The people on watch had started to come down from the towers to rest for the day. Soon no one would be watching for any unusual movement. For a brief moment in time the Light village was completely unguarded. This was his moment. He had packed his bags and was fully ready for his aimless guest. He knew she was out there. He knew she was alive. The village leaders weren't going to give their support but that didn't mean he couldn't look on his own. He had to find her.

" Where are you going?"

Uryu turned around and saw his childhood friends staring at him; Ichigo, Rukia, Renji, and Izuru.

" I was…." His voice trailed off. He had been friends with all of them since they were young. He couldn't lie his way out of this one. "I need to find Orihime….I know she is out there and not with them."

There was an exchange of looks between his friends. They all loved Orihime, too. But the village leader had said some pretty serious accusations towards her. They were told she had sided with the Darkness and will help them destroy the village. It was hard to swallow. After seeing her powers on the battlefield that day they didn't even know what to think.

"Uryu…" Izuru spoke cautiously. "We know how much you care for her…." He paused again to try and find the correct words. Uryu continued to stare at his blonde friend. "It is just hard to wrap our heads around what the village leaders had said...and…and what so many of us saw that night"

Uryu narrowed his eyes. "Do you honestly believe them? Do you think Orihime is the type of person who would help her enemy? I will admit seeing her powers were shocking but this is Orihime…And If you recall she was healing Sora…healing him. Do you understand how important that can be?"

Unable to match his friend's look, Izuru looked away. Uryu let out a long and hard sigh. "I am going and all of you cannot stop me from doing so."

"Wait!" A short black haired petite woman grabbed Uryu's arm. "I am coming with you!"

"Rukia what are you doing?" Ichigo intersected. He was feeling very conflicted on the whole matter himself. He believed in Orihime but he didn't want to risk his future wife's life or his own to find answers.

"Listen…I know you guys have your doubts…. but Uryu is right. Do we really think Orihime would do such a thing? I for one would rather confront her then be a little coward in a corner being ignorant on the subject. So I am going with. How about you? Get answers or stay behind?"

Ichigo stared back at Rukia. In all the years they had been together she was always right. She was strong willed and courageous; part of the reason they were to marry. However, it was hard to shake the feeling in his gut. He had a bad feeling about it all.

"Rukia it may be very dangerous…." Ichigo hated how cowardly he sounded. He just couldn't bare the thought of anything happening to her.

"I am not asking any of you to come. I am going to find the women I love." Uryu was getting annoyed at his friends for delaying his journey. It was going to be risky but somehow that didn't matter to him. Orihime was what mattered.

"5 days….Let's look for 5 days. If she is still alive we can track her. Renji, Uryu, and I are hunters. It should be easy with us three. And after 5 days we will return back home. Is this agreeable with you Rukia?" Ichigo tried to compromise. Setting a time limit seemed best. Unlike Uryu, who would probably search for weeks. He looked down at Rukia as she mulled things over.

"Okay. Let's go…" _I can keep these men in line_... _Other then Ichigo, Renji is the next best hunter. Uryu is great at tracking. And Izuru….Izuru is…. a good cook._ "Renji you in?" Rukia looked at her tall bright red haired friend.

"Yea. Why not"

"Izuru?" Rukia had her doubts. The blonde haired fidgeted around a little before he gave a nod in agreement.

"Fine. Whatever. You all have 10 minutes to go gather your things before I leave. I have already wasted time."

 **XXXXXXXX**

"I think I am finally used to this routine." Orihime smiled as she met Ulquiorra by the cave opening. The sun had just gone down and it was time for them to be on their way. They had been traveling for a week already. They stayed close to the mountains and traveled from dusk till dawn. During the day, Ulquiorra would go into the caves and Orihime would take care of her needs and sleep. Today was the first day she didn't feel exhausted. Orihime found herself looking forward to when the sunset more and more as the week went on. Ulquiorra was a man of few words but he was a good listener. Orihime must have spent three days alone just telling him about her brother Sora. She didn't realize how much she needed that. It felt good to talk about him. It made her emotions feel more stable. Their conversations were usually random or just small talk. Or they walked in silence. It wasn't awkward but comforting just knowing he was walking near her.

Tonight Orihime was feeling curious. She had held off asking anything serious or direct questions about him or the purpose of their meeting. She walked behind him holding an apple she had gathered before sunset.

"So you don't eat right?" Orihime questioned him as they walked. She hadn't seem him eat or drink anything since they had met.

"I do not acquire food to live." Ulquiorra said in his usual short manner.

"Ehhh…That is kind of sad. There is so many delicious food out there…but you can eat food though?" Orihime went through all of her favorites in her mind. It started to depress her. Although she found food in the forest there was hardly a diverse menu.

"I am not human. So what may be delicious to you may taste repulsive to me."

"Have you had an apple before?"

"No"

"… Do you want to try" Orihime asked in a very sweet voice. Her interest was in full swing. Asking him seemed crazy to her but she wanted to try.

Ulquiorra stopped walking and looked at the girl. He had noticed a slight change in her today. Her big gray eyes seemed to shine even more in the moonlight. He felt very confused for some reason.

"You want me to eat the apple?" Ulquiorra said dryly.

"Take a bite! Maybe you will like it…unless human food will make you sick…"

Ulquiorra closed his eyes. _I want to appease this girl? Ridiculous._ Despite his thoughts, he found himself moving closer to her. The closer he got the more her eyes shone and smile grew. He stopped about a foot away from her. His eyes were fixated on her. She slowly raised her hand that held the apple. She was surprised he was going to do it. It made her heart beat so loud she was sure he heard. He lowered his head not once breaking eye contact. He carefully, making sure not to make contact with her hand, he bit a small piece off. The juices ran down his throat and an indescribable taste filled his mouth. He chewed slowly. He prodded his tongue to figure out the flavor. It was pleasant. Probably the most pleasant taste he had ever encountered. Orihime watched him as he chewed painfully slow. She was excited to find out if he liked it or not. If she was not mistaken he seemed confused.

"So…" She questioned. "How is it?"

"I don't know this taste. I know you have words like bitter, salty or sour. However, I don't know which is which."

Orihime held in a giggle. He was so serious. Ulquiorra stared at her hard. He was waiting for her to tell him.

"It is sweet a sweet taste. The apple is sweet. Have your never before?"

"So this is the taste sweet…. It isn't completely nauseating."

"Would you like some more?" Orihime held the apple up again. Secretly, she waited to see his facial expressions change again. She found it so interesting.

"No. There is no point wasting your food. I am not human so I it is not essential to my livelihood. Have you forgotten?"

Orihime stopped as she listened to his statement. He had mentioned the fact he was far from human a few times now. She finally felt confidence enough to ask him more personal questions. "Then what exactly are you?"

"What did they teach you in that school of yours?" Ulquiorra quip back.

"Well…They said you were…demons. You ate us…strong and fast. Can kill us by a black smoke. The one weakness is light…. That is pretty much what we were taught." Orihime waiting for his response hoping he wouldn't be offended.

"We don't eat humans. That is preposterous accusation that your village had fabricated." Ulquiorra spat at the very mention of it. _Those humans are ridiculous_. _Did she think the same things?_ Before he could ask her, Orihime let out a slight little laugh.

"You know… I didn't really buy into that. Never seen a bite mark or proof that people were getting eaten. To be honest I was always curious…"

Ulquiorra felt that pain in his chest again. Rubbing it to make it go away, he decided to reward her. "We cannot die by natural causes or grow old. Our bodies can regenerate themselves depending on the injury. We move faster then a mere human would and our strength is unmatched. Our appearances, despite my own, do not vary too much from a "human". But a human we are not. I came into this world such as I am about 300 years ago."

"So…." Orihime fell silent again. "You were born just like that?" She was slightly at awe about him reveling his age. He looked to be in his early 20's. _So handsome…_

"I wouldn't say born. I was created. All of us were by Lord Aizen"

"Is lord Aizen your leader?" Orihime questioned him curiously. Ulquiorra stared at the girl to make sure she wasn't trying to be silly. Nonetheless, she waited for his answer earnestly.

"You do not know who lord Aizen is? His name is not unknown or some secret…. do you know nothing of the history?"

"Isn't obvious that I don't? I don't even know what my powers mean or why the Darkness would want me…"

Ulquiorra had thought of the possibility she knew little. Yet, this was beyond his expectation. "Lord Aizen is our leader. The Light village sworn enemy. We are all under his command. I am extremely certain your village leaders know his name. They must have kept it from you specify or your generation…"

Orihime let this new information sink in. It was highly likely they kept it from her. They seemed to withhold a lot of information. Lord Aizen must be the person who wanted her. He is the one who sent Ulquiorra to get her.

"So…Lord Aizen…why does he need me?" Orihime held her breath. In her 18 years of life she would finally get a direct answer.

"Simply speaking… you are the healer. Your powers transcend the people in your village. Only a few have ever been born in the past couple hundred years." Ulquiorra said flatly. She knew her powers were more dominant then others. The label healer was new but it was due to her being able to restore objects. However, Orihime was still confused what that had to do with the Darkness at all.

"Why does Lord Aizen want me then? My powers, if anything, should be a huge threat to him… you call me a healer? What can I heal? You said you can self regenerate."

Ulquiorra faced Orihime and stared deep into her eyes again. He voice was crisp and deep.

"Only you have the power to remove the curse put upon us."

Shocked, Orihime eyes widened. "A curse?" she proclaimed louder then expected.

"We have been cursed to live in these lesser forms in unending darkness for 300 years. Now, we want to regain are original selves and step into the light."


End file.
